If billions of people died because of a pandemic disease, would we all be richer?

Question

Everybody would inherit all their stuff and then spend money like crazy, right?

Answer 1

Yes. We would have an incredible amount of money and things, but would they hold their value?

Answer 2

While it would be odd to wish for the event, I think you're basically right.

The depopulation of Europe during the Black Plague in the 14th century so improved the economic conditions of the survivors that many nations enacted sumptuary laws to prevent ordinary citizens from buying gold, silk, and other luxuries.

This mechanism, however, has more to do with the rising price of labor in a small workforce than with heritage. Many people do not have a will. In the event of a lethal epidemic, most private possessions would revert to probate court, which would ultimately enrich the government and not consumers.

Answer 3

Not likely, more wealth would simply be distributed to those who were already considered wealthy. The money of the others that passed who may have had some sort of savings would go toward paying their debts and anything left over would go toward paying their beneficiaries debts and so the small percentage of wealthy would end up with their inheritance as well.

Answer 4

in the panic following something like that my guess is that we'd destroy a lot of stuff in riots or something. If we were even the survivors....
there probably wouldnt be a lot of people left to enforce laws after billions of people died either, so it probably wouldnt matter either way

Answer 5

I would say no b/c if they all died, the state would get the money.

Answer 6

there would be mass chaos, money probably wouldnt mean much, hopefully everything wouldnt burn and break, but there wouldnt be much left of any infrastructure. you would be eating cold canned beans if you could find any.

Answer 7

what makes you think that you and I aren't the people in the billions, lol

Answer 8

if you mean you by the word *we*..then you are totally idiotic.....and im guessing its bout this Birdflu.....its just an uproar scare to try and scare us to go buy all that stuff.....

Answer 9

More than likely we'd be the dead ones, so it wouldn't matter.

Answer 10

You are a sick man.